Why Our Ductwork Comes Out of Our Own Sheet Metal Shop

Most HVAC contractors don't fabricate their own ductwork. They order it from a distributor, wait for a delivery window, and build the job's schedule around whatever that window turns out to be. DeKalb Mechanical fabricates its own duct in-house, in a shop attached to the same building that does the installs, and that single fact changes how a job actually runs once it's underway.

What Changes When the Shop Is Down the Hall

On a job with a supplier-sourced duct system, a change on site means a new order, a new lead time, and a schedule that waits on someone else's truck. On a job running through DeKalb Mechanical's own shop, a change on site is a call to the bench. If a rooftop curb needs a dimension that doesn't match a stock part, or a run needs to jog around something the original plan didn't account for, the fix gets fabricated in the same building the crew is already working out of, sometimes the same day. That's the turn-around the fabrication shop was built to protect, and it's the difference between a schedule that survives a surprise and one that doesn't.

It also changes how a sizing problem gets caught. An installer working off duct fabricated somewhere else finds out about a mismatch on site, after the delivery has already arrived and there's a job standing still while a replacement gets ordered. An installer working off DeKalb Mechanical's own shop can walk a question back to the bench before the piece is even cut, because the people building it are in the same building as the people installing it. That's a quieter benefit than a same-day fix, but over the course of a job it's often the one that keeps the schedule from slipping in the first place.

What the Shop Works With

• Galvanized Steel
• Koolduct
• Thermaduct
• Black Iron
• Stainless Steel
• Aluminum
• Clad Steel
• Paint Grip

That range of materials covers most of what a duct system actually needs to be built from. Galvanized steel is the material most duct systems are built from day to day. Koolduct and Thermaduct are factory-insulated board systems that go up faster than a traditional duct-and-wrap job. Black iron and stainless steel go where a standard system can't, on applications that need to hold up to heat or corrosion a galvanized duct wouldn't survive. Aluminum keeps a run lighter where weight matters, and clad steel and paint grip are the finishes used where the duct itself needs to be paintable or weather-exposed rather than hidden above a ceiling.

What Comes Off the Line

The shop produces rectangular ductwork, round and spiral pipe, double-wall duct, round double-wall systems, Thermaduct, and rooftop curbs, built either as standard components or as custom fabrication to a specific job's dimensions. That range covers most of what a commercial or residential install actually needs, from stock straight runs to a purpose-built curb for a rooftop unit that doesn't match anything off a shelf.

Round and spiral pipe covers the ductwork most exposed installs use, since spiral seams hold shape well without extra reinforcement. Double-wall duct and the round double-wall systems add an inner liner for jobs that need sound attenuation or a cleaner interior surface, and rooftop curbs are built to the specific unit and roof opening they're sitting on rather than pulled from a generic size chart. Standard components come off the line for routine runs, and custom fabrication covers everything the standard sizes don't.

Built by Contractors, for Contractors

DeKalb Mechanical's own description of the fabrication shop is direct about who it's built for: ductwork made by contractors, for contractors. That's not only a line about their own installs. Other mechanical contractors in the area order fabricated ductwork through the same shop, because a team that understands the demands of the field, from tight schedules to a change that shows up mid-install, fabricates parts that make the actual installation easier rather than something to work around. Quick turn-around and a quality product are the two things the shop is built to deliver, on DeKalb Mechanical's own jobs and on the jobs of contractors who come to them for fabricated duct.

If you're a contractor who needs ductwork fabricated to spec, or a building owner whose project needs a mechanical contractor that can fabricate what a job calls for instead of waiting on it, call DeKalb Mechanical at (815) 756-6528.